Structural members



April 1958 s. A. SWALLERT 2,832,100

STRUCTURAL MEMBERS Filed May 2, 1955 51/621 arildjw [Keri United States Patent STRUCTURAL MEMBERS Sven Arild Swallert, Lidingo, Sweden, assignor to Gustav Algard, New York, N. Y.

Application May 2, 1955, Serial No. 505,445 Claims priority, application Sweden January 31, 1955 1 Claim. (Cl. 20-4) The invention relates to structural members, particularly adapted to be delivered in sets ready for putting together building constructions, such as game houses, garages and other smaller buildings.

According to the invention the structural members are i made out of a somewhat flexible plate material, such as fiber board, heavy cardboard, plywood, and similar materials, and is provided with slots having a width equal to the thickness of the plate members. Each member has its slots placed in pairs, and the slots of each pair are directed in alignment onto each other from two opposite edges of the member. Further, the total length of the slots of each pair is somewhat greater than the distance between the inner ends of said slots. In this way two members located in a common plane and having each one slot inserted in a pair of slots of an intermediate member perpendicularly thereto, may be forced to overlap each other with their opposite ends after some bending in lateral direction. Thus, a clamping action is obtained, which contributes highly to the stillness and stability of the joint construction. Also the walls and roof of a house will be made rain-tight by said overlapping.

The invention will be more closely described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawing in which- Figs. 1 and 2 show two structural members, one (Fig. 2) in a fractional view only.

Fig. 3 shows the joining of the members, and

Figs. 4 and 5 show perspective views of a wall section and of a corner between two walls respectively.

The smaller structural member 6 shown in Fig. 1 is adapted to be used for joining two larger members, which, if desired, may have a length equal to a wall section to be built. Fig. 2 shows one end of such a longer member 7, the other end of which has the same shape.

As indicated above, the structural members are provided with pairs of slots 8, and the slots of each pair are directed towards each other from two opposite edges of the member. Preferably the dimensions are standardized so that all slots have equal length and all members have equal width, as seen in the direction of the slots.

Besides, the distance between the inner ends of two slots directed towards each other is somewhat shorter than the total length of said slots.

When joining a building construction, for instance, a number of members 7, shown in Fig. 2, is placed in the same plane, and the slots in adjacent edges of two such members are inserted into a pair of slots of an intermediate member, placed perpendicularly to the members first mentioned, as shown in Fig. 3. Hereby the edges of adjacent members in the same plane will at first hit each other. However, by bending adjacent edge portions a little in opposite directions, said members may be further advanced to overlap each other, as shown at 9 in Fig. 3. The joining is completed when the bottoms of two cooperating slots are brought in engagement. Preferably the structural members are made from fiber board, which material has a flexibility sufficient to permit the joining just described, and at the same time has a stiffness suflicient to cause the members to be effectively pressed towards each other.

Fig. 4 shows a wall section connected as described above. The connection members 6, shown in Fig. l, have there been used at the left end of the section. Said left end may, for instance, limit a doorway or a windowopening. The connection members 6 are in overlapping engagement to each other, whereby the stability of the construction is further improved. When the wall section is rather long, it may be suitable to insert further connection members 6 at one or more places along the members 7 forming the section. Of course, said members 7 must in such cases be provided with corresponding slots at these places.

Fig. 5 shows a corner in which section forming members 7 are inserted into each other. Such a construction may also be used for the roof of a house.

At the top and the bottom of the walls it may be suitable to insert terminating members having about half the width of the other members. In addition, a number of members with chamfered end portions must be dimensioned to be used for the gable-heads below the roof.

Thus, by means of the structural members described, a minor house or other building construction, or fitting unit, may be mounted easily and rapidly without using screws, nails or similar fastening means. Of course, the structural members may, as required, be given different shapes within the scope of invention. As an example, a house may be made with double walls, if the members are provided with two parallel pairs of slots at some distance from each other. Hereby the stability of the construction will be further increased.

What I claim is:

A toy building construction comprising relatively thin strips of flexible sheet material, each strip having at least one pair of aligned slots extending towards one another from opposite lateral edges thereof, the total length of the slots being greater than the distance between the inner ends of said aligned slots, and each slot having a width substantially equal to the thickness of the strip material to permit the slots of adjacent side edges of first and second strips located in the same plane to enter the opposed slots respectively of an intermediate third strip located perpendicular to said first and second strips, the lateral edges of said first and second members abutting and flexing sufliciently out of edge alignment to slide past one another and produce the appearance of overlapping wall siding.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,712,200 Dearling July 5, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,013,774 France May 7, 1952 

